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Friday, March 29, 2024

Siargao aligned with sports body

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SIARGAO is aligning itself with the grassroots initiative of the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Sports Institute that aims to mold the character of children through sports.

Surigao del Norte First District Representative Francisco Jose Matugas II (1st Dist.–Surigao Del Norte) co-sponsored the two-day Siargao Children’s Games festival, a United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization-recognized  sports and youth development program, spearheaded by PSC and the PSI.

The Games, designed for kids 12 years old and below, gathered more than 500 children in Siargao last weekend to participate in various traditional recreational activities that included Suot Lusot, Karirang Takbo, Tug of War, Karirang Talong and Bingo Went to Town.

In his message during the opening of the festival, Representative Matugas hailed the holding of the Children’s Games as “inspirational” for providing the opportunity for children to enjoy and relive some of the traditional and mostly forgotten Filipino games purely for fun.

He said the children’s games are not necessarily intended to promote competitiveness, but more of developing synchronicity and group efforts while playing the games passed unto us by our older generations.

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Matugas, who is known for actively promoting other major sporting events in Siargao such as surfing, game fishing, basketball, and football, added that the children’s games are a good venue in looking at the potentials and inclination of the youth who are in their developmental stage.

“Apart from the priceless joy that you see in their faces while playing the games, you can already spot some potentials in terms of footwork, cohesiveness and teamwork in some of the children,” Matugas said.

PSC director for Mindanao Pocholo Elegrino branded the Siargao Children’s Games as “very successful” and “one of the most well-organized” so far.

Last year, UNESCO formed a partnership with the PSC and the Philippine Sports Institute in making the Children’s Games a more powerful tool for character-building and values formation.

The UN-agency cited the Games as the only government agency-initiated program for the youth that brings together Indigenous People, Christians and Muslims through sports in a bid to promote peace and unity.

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